Means for cleaning the third rails of electrical railways.



.No. 757,650. I PATENTBD APR. 19, 1904 W. GHAUSSB. v MEANS FOR CLEANING THE THIRD RAILSOF ELEGTRIGAL BAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 80, 1903.

'K0 KODEL.

,1 5 M 5 d4 i1} 2 WITNESSES f mmvmn Patented a riile, 1904.

PATENT 0FF1E I/VILFRID CHAUSSE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR CLEANING 'THE'THIRD RAILS OF ELECTRICAL RAiLWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 757,650, dated April 19, 1904.

Application filed $eptember so, 1903. Saris-IND. 1mm. om model.)

To ctZl whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, VVILERID CHAUssE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State ofNew York,have invented certain new and useful Im provements in Means for Cleaning the Third Rails of Electrical Railways, of which the following is a specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. i

This invention relates to what are known as third-rail electric railways; and the object thereof is to provide improved means for removing sleet, snow, rust, and other substances from the third rail in order that proper electrical connection may be made therewith.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which theseparate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a side view of apart of the truck of an electric motor or other car, also a part of the track and third rail and showing my improvement connected with the truck of the car; Fig. 2, aside View of my improvement, on an enlarged scale, part of the construction being in section; Fig. 3, a plan view of a detail of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 4: a cross-section thereof.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, reference being made to Fig. 1, I have shown at a one of the track-rails of a railway of the class specified, and at b the third or conductor rail. 1 have also shown at c a part of the truck of a motor or other car, and at 0 two of the wheels thereof.

The device which I employ for cleaning the third rail is shown in all of the figures of the drawings and in Figs. 2 to 4, inclusive, in detail and on alarger scale than in Fig. 1. This device is designatedas a whole in Fig. 1 by the reference character 03 and comprises a central rod or bar (Z which is rectangular in cross-section and provided at one end with a thread (Z and nut (2*. Mounted on the rod or bar (Z are a plurality of scrapers (Z eight of which are shown, and these scrapers consist of rectangular metal plates and are separated by blocks cl. The scrapers (Z and the blocks a are arranged diagonally on the rod or bar at, and mounted on each end of said rod or bar are right-angled plates or brackets 2, the top parts of which are parallel with the rod or bar (Z2 and provided at their opposite sides with upwardly directed ears a which are formed on the horizontal top portions 0 of the plates or brackets a, while the end portions 0* of said plates or brackets are arranged diagonally of the rod or bar (Z to correspond with the position of the scraper-plates d.

Placed on and secured to the horizontal top portions 0 of the plates or brackets c is a central top plate f, provided with a central longitudinal vertically-arranged guide-plate f the top edge of which is inclined from a both ends toward the center thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Secured to the truck 0 or connected therewith in any desired manner is a support g, to which is secured a horizontal plate 9 the ends of which are provided with downwardly and outwardly directed arms g with which are pivotally connected links g*, which are also pivotally connected with the cars a of the bracket members 0, and as thus constructed the scraper member, which consists of the rod or bar (Z the plates'd' and the blocks (2, is made vertically movable.

Mounted in the support 9 and secured thereto in any desired manner or in any preferred way are two vertically-arranged rods it, on which is mounted a vertically-movable plate if, to the bottom and central portion of which is secured a vertically-movable pressure device or rod [11 provided in its lower end with a grooved wheel la which bears on the top edge of the guide-plate f and on the upper ends of the rods it is another plate If, between which and the plate [L2 are placed springs It, which normally serve to force the plate [L2 and the rod 7? downwardly.

The general plan of the support or supports for the rail cleaner or scraper is the same as that whereby the ordinaryelectrical contactshoe is supported, and said device bears on the third or conductor rail at all times, and the vertically-movable rod it exerts sufiicient pressure to cause a sufiicient degree of fricloo tion on said third rail to enable the scraper or cleaner to remove therefrom any sleet, snow, rust, or other substance that may collect thereon.

It will be observed that the scraper device, which is supported by the links g, has a longitudinal as well as a vertical movement, and the pressure of the guide-rod It" on the guiderod f serves to hold the scraper device in its depressed position at all times, and by reason of the shape of the top edge of the plate f the rod 71/3 also normally occupies a central position over said plate or bears thereon at the center point thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and this also tends to guide the scraper and hold it in proper position.

The bottom edges of the end plates cZ of the scraper or cleaner are curved in opposite directions, as shown at 2' in Fig. 2, the object of this construction being to facilitate the passage of the device over couplings in the third rail if at any time the ends of the separate sections of said rail should be uneven or one of said ends higher than the other, and by means of my improvement the third or conductor rail will be clean at all times, so that 1 the electrical contact-shoe which is always em- "opposite corners of the end plates on said bar being rounded, substantially as shown and described.

2. The herein-described means for cleaning the third rail of an electric railway comprising a vertically-movable spring-depressed scraper composed of a horizontal bar, diagonally-arranged plates mounted thereon and separated by diagonally-arranged blocks, the opposite ends plates being beveled at their opposite corners, substantially as shown and described.

3. The herein-described means for cleaning the third rail of an electric railway comprising supports, links suspended from said supports, a scraper device suspended from said links and adapted to bear on the third rail, said scraper device being provided at the top with a vertically-arranged guide-plate, the top edge of which is inclined from both ends toward the center, and a Vertically-movable spring-depressed rod provided at its lower end with a wheel adapted to bear on said plate, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 29th day of September, 1903.

WILFRID CHAUSSE.

Witnesses:

F. A. STEWART, O. E. MULREANY. 

